The present invention relates to the manufacture of paperboard containers and, more particularly, compartmented shipping and display containers. It is known in the prior art to make a display or shipping container by first making a regular slotted container (RSC) or a half slotted container (HSC), loading the container with the product (e.g., bottles), and thereafter inserting into the thus preformed tray container a generally E shaped divider strip. The blank of which the E divider is formed is of a width the same as the height of the RSC or HSC container and has an overall length equal to the sum of the container walls to be doubled and the two panels comprising the divider partition. The E blank thus comprises a long spindly piece which creates shipping problems for the corrugator and handling problems for the box maker. The E blank is typically first folded into the E configuration and then manually or machine inserted into the preformed RSC or HSC container.
An E blank and a companion body blank are assembled to make a compartmented container for either a display container or a shipping container. The E blank comprises a rectangular piece of corrugated fiberboard material having, symmetrically arrayed about a longitudinal center line, a pair of divider panels, a pair of sidewall panels, a pair of endwall panels and, if desired, a pair of corner post flanges. The divider panels comprise an end-most pair of all the panels of the blank. The E blank is completely severed through from end to end along the longitudinal center line, except for a spaced apart pair of intact crush score areas inter-connecting the pair of divider panels as a hinge.
The body blank comprises a substantially rectangular piece of corrugated material having a central bottom panel with integral opposite end wall panels. In the case of a display container, the bottom wall panel has a pair of opposite side wall flaps, one of which comprises a marginal window flap. In this case, the end wall panels are each flanked by marginal corner flaps on opposite sides, one of which is is formed with a joggled portion to cover a notch of a corner post flange of the companion end wall of the E divider, the flange being thus configured to provide a recess for one end of the window flap. In the case of a shipping container, the opposite side marginal flaps of the bottom panel are similar, as are the marginal corner post flaps of the end wall panels.
In the assembly of a display container of the invention, the flat E blank is advanced in a horizontal plane to a first station wherein the divider panels are restrained horizontally while the side wall panels, end wall panels and corner post flaps or flanges are turned downward 90 degrees. The blank is next advanced to a position over a split mandrel into which the divider panels are next folded together. Folding of the divider panels effects rotation of the side wall panels, end wall panels and marginal flaps into a horizontal position while those flaps are being restrained within a common vertical plane. Thereafter, the end wall panels and corner post flaps are progressively folded about the mandrel.
In the case of a shipper box, the pair of divider panels carry another pair of side wall panels while the manner of the formation of the box is substantially similar to that of the display container.
During the folding assembly process, adhesive is applied to produce a laminated pair of divider panels as a result of their folding. Adhesive is also applied to all areas of the body blank except the floor panels such that the resulting structure comprises adhesively laminated together vertical members on all four sides.